Annual Average Unemployment Rate Slightly Up in Idaho

BOISE, Idaho – Idaho’s annual average unemployment rate for 2017 is slightly higher than the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics first reported.

The bureau revised the statewide seasonally adjusted annual average to 3.2 percent, according to information from the Idaho Department of Labor, one-tenth percent higher than the estimated 3.1 percent first reported.

The department says the state’s December 2017 unemployment rate also was slightly higher at 3 percent – revised upward one-tenth of a percent from the 2.9 percent reported before the benchmark.

Idaho’s annual average labor force was 832,900 for 2017, up 2.5 percent over 2016. BLS revisions also show the state’s labor force increasing by 19,800 from January to December 2017, slightly more than the 18,400 pre-benchmark figure. Revised statewide total employment figures ended the year with an increase of 24,300 during 2017, just over 8,000 more than previously estimated, up 3.1 percent over 2016.

The adjustment calculated an increase of 500 more unemployed Idahoans at the end of 2017 than the original estimates. Overall, 2017 unemployment totals were down 14 percent from 2016.